It's In Her Eyes
by Lady Illusia
Summary: I can see it. Everything that reminds me of HER is in this girl's eyes. It's eerie actually. I never thought anyone could have the same look. But it also peaks my curiosity; why are their eyes so similar? Rated M for later content.
1. Haunted Memories

**A/N: This is a REALLY old story that I had up here once but after basically redoing everything on FF to start a new, I took it down. But I like this story too much to keep it away. It's not told the same as most stories which is why I like it.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but MY characters and the plot.**

There was a moment of weakness. That was all he needed in order to get in the killing blow. With a tilt of the blade to just the right angle the sword split the air and sliced through the head of the target standing in front of him. There was nothing he could do; this fool shouldn't have been so cocky. If he had just listened, then he wouldn't be dead. It hadn't taken much effort for him to completely dismember his foe; his sword was sharpened to a fine point that couldn't be matched. Although it was his sheer skill and speed that had allowed him such precise cuts that couldn't be seen without using developed Spirit Awareness. Even though Kuwabara had over developed Spirit Awareness for a human, even he couldn't follow every cut or move he made; but then again he was an idiot. Much stronger than Kuwabara, Yusuke should have been able to see every single motion made by his sword, but his Spiritual Awareness wasn't as highly developed as the red headed oaf. Kurama on the other hand, was able to follow more closely, though still having just a bit of difficulty.

Black boots touched the concrete and the sword was swung to the side to disperse the blood staining the beautiful silver blade. Another swing and the demon blood was finally gone and the sword was sheathed. Angular, slightly slanted eyes were closed as the sword was sheathed and didn't open until everyone heard the click of the hilt touching the sheath. Bloody, crimson eyes blinked and looked up their teammates with a stoic look that never seemed to change. Such a fool that demon was for trying to delay them. They had what they had come for and now demons were trying to stop them from returning home. This was a mistake on their part. Standing in the way of the Spirit Detective wasn't the best idea for everyone in their way would fall to their death.

"Wow Hiei! That was freaking awesome!" Yusuke exclaimed with a wickedly amused grin.

"Hn." was all the fire apparition replied with, knowing his skills were beyond measure.

"Indeed, I was only able to follow about half of his strikes, or a little over," Kurama said as they all once again began their trek home.

Kuwabara's face dropped, "Huh, I wasn't even able to follow that many…" he trailed off.

"That is because you're stupid," Hiei quipped with his hands in his pockets.

"What was that shrimpy?" Kuwabara shouted angrily. Hiei didn't reply except with an amused grunt and swiftly stepped away from an attack launched by Kuwabara, continuing to walk as if nothing had happened. "You wanna say that to my face!"

This bickering continued all the way back to Genkai's temple. Kuwabara shouting like a banshee at the rather quiet and unphased Hiei as he walked, ignoring the taller. It was normal routine for them actually. The same fighting amongst them and no one could ever seem to get it to stop for long. They were supposed to be a team, to be friends, but they acted like each one of them hated the other; except maybe Kurama who had the best manners out of them all.

"Oh my, Kazuma you're hurt…" Yukina gasped as they walked through the doors of the temple and found the girls in the living room.

"YUKINA!" Kuwabara shouted in happy excitement as his eyes fell upon the love of his life. "Did you miss me baby?" he asked as he ran up to her and stared into her big red eyes.

Yukina couldn't help but giggle. His strange human ways always made her laugh, "Oh yes Kazuma, I was worried about all of you. That seemed like a dangerous mission you were sent on," she replied. Hiei couldn't help the flare of anger that over took him watching the two interact with each other.

Kuwabara grasped her hands and stared at her with charming, loving eyes, "Nothing could keep me from you my love. The love we share keeps me protected from all harm…" Yukina blushed.

"Right! That's why you got the crap kicked outta ya Kuwabara," Yusuke teased, slapping his best friend on the shoulder to which the red headed barbarian collapsed under the pain.

Now the bickering shifted from Hiei and Kuwabara to Yusuke and Kuwabara. There was a never ending bickering streak between the two teenage boys. It was quite possible that it was even worse than what would take place between the latter. Hiei never thought much of Kuwabara and thus would never bother fighting him, but Yusuke was a different story. Their fighting goes way back and who was he to turn down a fight; especially one he would win? Of course, things were a little different than what it used to be. Now they were aware of their spirit energy and would utilize it in fights sometimes; but mostly it was just pure fist fighting between them. Even then, Yusuke was the superior fighter.

With a disgruntled sigh, Hiei walked out of the temple and into the large forest that surrounded them. He was unable to stomach the way Kuwabara acted around his sister; it was just pure disgust! What his sister saw in him was a mystery to him. There was no way there was anything remarkable about a loud mouthed idiot who didn't know when a fight would kill him. Constant worry and overconfidence would stress anyone out and yet his sister dealt with it like a saint. They were so different. Sometimes he wondered if they really were twins because they acted nothing alike. Of course, they grew up in completely different ways so it wasn't as impossible to imagine as he made it seem. His eyes snapped open. Wait! Was he feeling sympathy for the moron? He shook his head, that was impossible.

Without bothering to remove his hands from his pockets, he jumped into a tree with ease and flopped onto the branch. His back rested against the trunk of the tree and he once again closed his eyes. It was peaceful outside in the wilderness. The sounds of nature all around, although human nature it may have been, it was still calming. Wind blew across his cheeks, rustling his hair and feeling his bangs sway against his headband. Yes, this was calming. Everything about what was going on was drifting out of his mind and it was slowly going blank. To onlookers he looked asleep when in fact he was just relaxing in a deep trance. The Human World wasn't as bad when you took the time to enjoy the solidarity. Without humans around, this world could have passed for a more peaceful Demon World.

Even in a deep trance, it didn't take too long for the fire demon to actually fall asleep. The peace and quiet was too good to pass up. Nothing pursuing him, no need to constantly look over his shoulder; it was a nice feeling. No forced fighting, no having to help the Spirit Detective. There was no greater feeling than enjoying your own company. Never in his life had he experienced the company of others enjoying, even after hanging around the Spirit Detective and his friends so much. Being alone was more his style and always would be. There was nothing better than it really. And as dreams of blood flooded him mind, he only seemed to enjoy being alone even more.

'_Hiei.'_

Something seemed to speak his name; in the mist of blood he had heard it. Over the sound of his sword passing through bones. How was that possible? No greater sound could stop his ears from enjoying that sound. It was one he had found comfort in for so long and now something was trying to disrupt that. The dream image of himself looked around for the source of the voice, his eyes narrowed thinking that maybe it was just part of the dream he was having. Maybe another enemy was trying to trick him into letting down his guard. If that were truly the case, it wouldn't work!

'_Hiei.'_

There it was again! From the sound of it, it was a female voice but he didn't know many women. He purposely didn't want to know them feeling that they would cause unneeded emotions. From being around the humans for such a time he had thought correctly. His enemy was stupid if they thought a female could distract him; he would strike her down too. When it came to him and his blade, nothing stood in their way. An imagine began to appear in the bloody mist that still filled his mind and he brought his sword up, ready to attack. His eyes narrowed as the blood swirled around violently and a humanly shape began to appear; or what looked human. Soon cat ears could be seen in the swirl of crimson, along with a sleek tail. Hiei narrowed his eyes a little further but this time in a more curious way. What enemy could this be? A neko demon? They weren't all that powerful. So why were his dreams giving him one to face?

'_Hiei.'_

Again with that voice! It was really starting to bug him how much that voice kept saying his name. This was seriously beginning to frustrate him. A few more seconds and he would know the face of this voice. This female voice that seemed to plague him this day. As the blood became much more defined in shape the voice continued to say his name. A haunted, kind, compassionate sounding voice; as if this voice were speaking to a lover. This thought caused the short demon to ponder the voice, try and figure out if he somehow knew the voice. While it was highly unlikely, there was a sliver of a possibility that he knew the voice. His thoughts raced as he watched and tried to figure out the conundrum confounding his mind. As he thought harder and harder on this voice, it seemed that it was suddenly becoming familiar to him. It was as if it were a long forgotten memory that was only powered by a voice and the memories had been thrown away long ago. A feeling of déjà vu perhaps was a better way of describing it. It was like he had heard the voice before but couldn't seem to place where exactly he had heard it. Was it the voice of a victim? An ally? Perhaps a bystander? He was unsure.

For some reason no matter how hard he thought on the subject, he couldn't find the source. Finally, through all his hazy deeds and mental tricks he was beginning to give the voice consistency. Their shape was becoming so much clearer. The silhouette of a young woman a half a foot taller than Hiei emerged. The blood began to disperse even more. Long, straight hair the color of a soft pastel blue seemed to be swept up in some kind of wind as it gently blew around her waist, her silver tail swishing gently behind her backside. A soft violet kimono with floral print wrapped her body from his view and stopped mid thigh with a slit on her right side. Her feet were bare, her clawed hands by her sides and her glittering silver eyes staring at him. He finally figured it out!

The sight of her struck a chord and he seemed to collapse from shock. He knew who she was. He knew her VERY well. Never in his life did he think he would see her again. The last time he did see her…he didn't even remember it had been so long. His knees hit the ground and for a moment he just sat there on his knees, looking up at her with the most despaired look upon his face that anyone would never see from him. Even more surprisingly was the echoing _CLANK_ from the hiruseki stone that fell from the corner of his right eye. Soon after his body fell forward as his unconscious subconscious tried to remember the last time he had seen her. As he lay within the middle of his mind, her image didn't seem to be affected by his passing out and walked up to him, dropping to her own knees and rolling him onto his back. His head rested in her lap as the scenery around them changed. Her loving silver eyes never left his sleeping face as a beautiful forest background enveloped them, the two of them sitting under a tree, her back against the trunk.

'_Hiei.'_ Her voice echoed in his ears and throughout his mind. _'Wake up Hiei.'_ The young neko demon touched his cheek gently, feeling him stir under her touch.

Was it at all possible this was real and what he had been living was the dream? That would be a much more pleasant idea. Could it be that his dream could come true? The one dream he kept secret and buried so deep inside himself that he usually denied the existence of this dream. Her touch, it was something he missed dearly. He could feel her icy touch against his searing hot skin; it was natural being a fire demon. This is how he remembered her. Her touch had always been so cold to him, but so comforting; he enjoyed it in some weird way.

His eyes began to flutter open, hoping that she wasn't gone. It had been so long since he had seen her. To see her for a moment and then have her gone would have been the worst. Red eyes finally opened completely and to his joy he saw her staring down at him with those sweet almond shaped silver eyes. He couldn't believe she was really here!

"_Is it really you?"_ he asked sitting up and turning to face her, feeling the grass beneath his hands.

She nodded a response gingerly. To which he couldn't help but gather her in his arms. Never had he shown such emotion towards someone, even his sister. Sure he loved his sister dearly, but in order to protect her he couldn't get as close to her. This though, this was entirely different. He knew this woman. Dare he even say he loved this woman. His facial features became somber, but that was a long time ago. Too long.

'_Wait! Hiei, where are you going?'_ the same feminine voice called out as the image of her disappeared from his side in a wisp of smoke. He tried to reach out and stop her some how, but she was already gone. His attention turned to the scene that had changed without him noticing.

The same woman was running to the door of her tiny home on a large hill surrounded by nothing but trees. She had a look of worry and something similar to panic. Her hand touched the frame of her doorway as she suddenly brought herself to a stop, her long hair whipping about her face as it settled against her back and shoulders. Beyond her sight was Hiei with his back to her and hands in his pockets. Slowly her look became one of sorrow and a hand came to her chest. She seemed so pained by something. He was leaving her, could she really be that upset by such a trivial act? He had much more important things to take care of and staying with her was not how he was going to get them done. He had to leave and he had told her that.

'_Hn. I'm leaving, I already told you,'_ he replied, his voice just as echoed as her own. Stern and cold. It was how he always was, even with her. Yet somehow, she got past all of that.

She left the threshold of her door and ran towards him, _'Why? Why do you have to leave? You can stay here and we can live…'_

'_Shut up!'_ his voice boomed causing her to gasp and stop talking. His head was angled down to where his facial features were unreadable and his hands clenched into fists within his pockets. He spun around to face her and gave her a menacing look, _'There's nothing between us. I don't belong here and my job is done. How many times do I have to say it to you? I don't love you, I don't love anyone! How you got it in your head that I did I'll never know, but now that my contract is up I have no reasons to stay. You're nothing more than a petty child living on a spec of hope that will get you nowhere. Emotions get you nothing and nowhere so you should learn to throw them aside. Only by being powerful can you truly get whatever it is that you want.'_

She stood there with a shocked look with tears streaming down her face, ears flattened against her skull. She dropped her head and didn't bother looking up at him, _'I'm sorry you feel that way Hiei. Just know there is always a place for you here…'_ Her hands came to her face as she spun around and ran back inside her home and away from him.

That's right. That's how he had left her. The pain pinged in his chest and he doubled over while still sitting on his knees. Whether or not he liked it, that was how she was. In the time that he knew her he had never really known her to act in any other way. His fingers curled under his palms as he held himself up and hissed from the pain that was burning his chest like something had physically pierced his heart. Slowly the image began to ripple and fade away as he struggled with the unknown pain that was beginning to run through the rest of his body. Falling onto his side, he clutched his gut and curled into the fettle position as the pain grew. Beside his writhing body the same neko woman appeared again and stared down at him with sympathetic eyes.

His crimson eyes shifted to her silver ones and they locked gazes. She hadn't changed a bit. But was this just a mental guide for him, or was this image of her real? He couldn't tell for sure. She seemed rather ghostly, but that could have just been because she was in his mind. Maybe she was some subconscious entity that he couldn't make go away but he couldn't make real; stuck between being tossed aside for good and clinging desperately to remain within his thoughts. He watched as she slowly reached out to him and touched his skin. That same bone chilling touch! The pain subsided and he sat up, slowly getting to his feet. His many years of training couldn't be pushed aside anymore as he glared at the image standing before him; taller than him.

"_Who are you? Or rather, __what__ are you?"_ he asked with his glare locked onto her.

Her head tilted to the side and she smiled softly at him, _'I am who you think I am Hiei. The echo of your most guarded secret. The shadow of your pain. The guide to your confusion. Times have changed and now I break free for the secrets you will uncover in the very near present.'_

She faded away in a wisp of smoke, just like the memory. Hiei tried to reach out for her, but just like the image of a past event, she was gone before he could reach her. Once again he had lost her. It was painful to see her fade away from him again, but by the sound of her words, she could possibly be back. Was it possible that he would see her again? In his mind or within the real world? A blood curdling scream echoed in his mind, deafening all thought. An image flashed so quickly through his mind that he almost didn't have time to see it.

With a start he awoke in the tree, "Minami!" he shouted, his hand out stretched as if once again trying to reach for her.


	2. New Case

**A/N: The next chapter! I will do my darnedest to publish each chapter as it's done; but I can't guarantee it. It's sad that I have to basically redo all this from scratch since the original is stuck on an old and dead computer, but I gotta say I'm liking this slight revamp.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but MY characters and the plot.**

Sitting in the tree, alone and in nothing but quiet, he couldn't help but think himself crazy for the dream he just had. Was it possible he was going crazy from the stressful things they had been doing lately? Sure. Anything was possible. But that image that he saw just before waking. He turned and looked out over his shoulder at the fading sunlight. He sighed softly and watched the image play in his mind again. Was it from the Jagan that he got that image? Or was it from Minami herself? He didn't know and that frustrated him! Everything that he didn't know irritated him.

Bringing a knee up, he rested his arm atop his knee and stared at the sunset with a blank look. Minami. He never thought that he would ever think about her again; but then again he did force her out of his waking thoughts. He knew how he really felt about her, but after saying those mean things to her and getting back to what he really needed to do everything had become so clouded. His life had faded over his feelings and everything was bitter and black. Even though he thought of her with high regard, something inside him seemed to feel nothing but horrible, utter bitterness. She didn't have to let him go so easily and yet she had! If she really had cared for him like she told him then she wouldn't have let him go. This was all her fault!

His attention was drawn from his thoughts as a sound from below caught his attention. Bloody eyes shifted to look at the bush from which the rustling sound was coming from. He stood up on the branch and placed a hand on the hilt of his sword, ready to strike down whatever was going to emerge. The only thing he knew was that its energy was demonic and he was going to slay it. His cloak rustled around his hand as it gripped the hilt tightly against his back. With eyes narrowed he waited, almost on edge. The small demon didn't really feel like getting into a fight after just getting the time to relax, but if it were something that had to be done then he would. Maybe a real fight will get the exasperating images out of his head.

The rustling continued for a moment before a small neko child emerged with a flop onto their stomach. Long navy blue hair sprawled around her upper body as she seemed to struggle to get up. From the tree Hiei could see that she was hurt; trembling as she strained her tiny muscles to pick herself up. The little girl seemed to be really hurt, her cat ears of the same color as her hair were flat against her head and her matching tail was twitching so rapidly it must have been from anxiety. Her child sized kimono was torn and covered in dirt and with extraordinary effort she pushed herself to her feet. Hiei looked upon the small girl as she opened her eyes; big, innocent feline eyes of a pink color looked around frantically. Her ears perked up and twitched, she must have heard something he didn't.

A beast roared, "There you are little girl!" the beast came from behind her and the young child screamed as she turned around and fell on her butt.

"No! Stay away from me!" she cried, bringing her hands up in defense. Her pink eyes grew wide as the larger beast advanced on her.

He laughed in her face, "Your fear is intoxicating…" she tried scrambling away from him. His large hand reached out and grabbed her by her tail, picking her up and gave her a look of hunger, "I could just eat you, and maybe I should."

"AH!" the little girl cried in pain at her tail being grabbed so roughly and hoisted into the air. Open wounds on her body began to drip blood from hanging upside down, staining the once green grass red.

"Mmm, yes scream for me little girl," the demon grunted in satisfaction from her cries of pain.

The young child shut her eyes tightly and stopped making a sound before grabbing onto his massive arm, "Let. Me. Go! You disgusting beast!" she growled biting into his flesh with her sharp canines.

The giant dropped her and to the ground she fell with a _THUD_. She felt her body bounce against the grass and as she gained her bearings, she got onto her hands and knees and tried crawling away. The giant demon roared in pain as he pulled back and glared at the little girl trying to get away from him. His red eyes glared daggers at the little demon that pulled such a dirty little trick on him. He would make her pay for such a deed! He began to advance on her, his teeth and claws bared in anger. She would feel the full force of the pain he would inflict on her. His boss may have wanted her alive, but that didn't mean she didn't have to suffer first.

"Why you little bitch!" he screamed as he lunged for her. "Huh…?" he stopped suddenly seeing someone jump in front of him with a sword drawn. He laughed, "Better watch yourself little man, might poke out an eye with that sword."

Hiei harden his glare, "Hn, maybe I'll start with your eyes."

"What was that small fry?" the larger growled. Behind Hiei the small child watched, surprised that anyone would help her.

The larger of the two made a pass. He had had enough! Without a second thought, or possibly even a first, Hiei sliced through the demon's body like butter. Blood sprayed from the severed parts, coating both him and the little girl in blood. The stench was horrible and Hiei had to fight back the urge to vomit. With his blade stained red and hanging by his side, he looked down at the two parts with malice. Attacking a child; how pathetic. This creature wasn't even worth being called a demon. His bloody eyes widened as that image sent to him telepathically flashed in his mind's eye again. Somehow…this reminded him of that? But why? There were no similarities to that image save for the blood. He already hated that image and wished it would leave his mind. From behind him the sound of a small body hitting the grass caught his attention and looked over his shoulder. The fire Imiko blinked a few times; this child had fainted, with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Yusuke!" Botan's voice called as she jumped off her oar having it disappear, and holding a video tape in her hand.<p>

Yusuke's chocolate eyes blinked and looked over at his assistant, "Botan?" He looked at her curiously, she sounded so urgent.

"I have an urgent case from Koenma" she replied as she dropped to her knees and pushed the tape into the VHS player.

"What's the royal baby want now?" he shouted in annoyance at the T.V., a fist clenched tight enough to turn his knuckles white. They had just come back home and now he wanted to send them out again?

On the screen, everyone but Keiko was able to see Koenma sitting in his large, cushiony swivel chair while sucking hastily on his pacifier. A dark and apprehensive look was lying upon his baby features; his tiny hands digging into the arms of his chair. Everyone that could see him knew that if he were looking this troubled it must be something important. He hadn't even bothered putting on his opening credits to the tape like he normally did. This intense sight he saw from his boss caused Yusuke to pay attention. There was a long drawn out silence that sat in the air while they waited for him to speak. And yet, he was so upset that he seemed almost at loss of words; he didn't know how to properly describe the situation. Finally though, the small ruler sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration before once again looking at their group.

"Yusuke…" he began, his tone calmer than one might hear of an apparent urgent situation. "I know you just finished a mission and you all deserve some rest, but I can't allow that. You see, something terrible has happened in Demon World, something that could impact all worlds…" he added, allowing for dramatic pause.

Their collective eyes widened, "Wh-what are you talking about Koenma?" Yusuke asked hesitantly.

On the screen Koenma disappeared and a file appeared with a somewhat obscure picture. It was hard to tell for sure, but it looked like a picture of a neko demon, but that was really all they could make out. Was this demon friend or foe? Yusuke felt an eerie tug in his gut. Something told him that this case would be very different from his other cases. Not necessarily in a bad way, but in some other way that he couldn't quite figure out. Just like Kurama and Kuwabara, he was reading the file they were being shown.

_Case File: D-34-G-506_

_Name: Minami_

_Age: 300_

_Gender: Female_

_Height: 5'3"_

_Weight: Unknown_

_Hair Color: Pastel Blue_

_Eye Color: Silver_

_Race: Demon_

_Species: Yanyama_

_Rank: S-Class_

_Side: Neutral_

_Status: Unknown_

_Powers: Healer, Defensive Spells, Holy_

_Power Origin: Demonic; Item_

_Special Marking(s): Circle w/ wings above her heart_

_Occupation: Guardian_

_Health: Unknown_

"These are all the facts we know about Miss Minami as of right now, but all of this information is of course…subject to change," his final words seemed to echo menacingly within all their ears. Did he believe something bad had happened to this demon woman?

"Sir," Kurama spoke up from the silence, "Could you tell us more about her? This seems a rather generic file." He just had to know!

Again Koenma sighed a heavy hearted sigh, his chair turned away from the screen, "Minami is a special case…" there was a very, very long pause from him before he finally got the courage to speak again. "Minami was bestowed with a great honor, but a terrible curse. Kurama, Genkai, I'm sure you're both familiar with an item called God's Eye," the two gasped in utter shock.

"Koenma, you can't be serious!" the older woman shouted, throwing her hand against the coffee table they all sat around, "That's the single most powerful object in all worlds! This little demon couldn't possibly be its host!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Back up, I got lost at God's Eye, and how this 'little demon' is an S-Class," Yusuke cut in feeling left out of the information loop.

Kurama took a very serious look, "The God's Eye, one of the most sought after items in all three worlds. Its legend suggests that the holder of this item can conquer any and all worlds; it grants on fathomable power. A single thought could become reality…" Kurama paused, "Although its legend isn't as terrifying, the fact that it can grant such power is. If it were to get into a mad man's hands life would end; everywhere. But, there's tale of certain people, human or demon, that are granted the task of guarding it; usually within their bodies. Some are not even aware they possess it. The only problem with bonding with the item is that it becomes possible that the guardian can tap into the power themselves, although I've never heard of it happening…"

"Yes well now you have," Koenma interjected.

The usually calm and cool fox faltered, his green eyes grew giant with horror and he gasped with the same feeling, "Koenma, how is that possible?"

His large swivel chair turned back to face the group, "You see, Minami has been bonded with the God's Eye for so long that she has learned to tap into its power. But let me assure you, she has never and will never use it for evil; that woman is far too kind for such actions," Koenma replied. "But you see, Minami has recently disappeared. No trace of her has been found, not even a whiff of her energy can be detected…" he crossed his fingers together, leaning forward against his desk, "I've recently learned that Minami is a mother of a young girl named Nyoko. She may know something about her mother's whereabouts and possibly in grave danger. This is what she looks like…"

Before them appeared a picture, a rather fuzzy picture, of a small neko demon with long navy blue hair, and matching ears and tail. In the picture she was smiling and appeared to be standing next to her mother Minami with the biggest smile on her face. There were birds around them, luscious grass and tall trees. The small girl's green kimono seemed to blend in with all the greenery that surrounded them, allowing her darker hair to help her stand out. Her big pink eyes were angular, almost almond shaped making her seem a little sinister but the pure innocence in her look betrayed that possibility. Kurama seemed to be the only one that noticed something familiar in that little girl's eyes as she smiled up at her mother while they stood surrounded by animals and nature. Maybe she reminded him of his younger years so many hundreds of years ago, but he couldn't quite place his finger on it.

There was a slam of the door and everyone swung around to see who it was, thinking maybe they were under attack. To their surprise it was Hiei, with a small child in his arms. Everyone seemed taken back by this scene before them. Never in their life would they imagine Hiei with a child! Lying unconscious in his arms her long navy hair dangled over his arm and swayed with each movement and pass of the wind. Her small body was covered in bruises, gashes and dirt; her kimono ripped to shreds and unable to be repaired. Her small arms were wrapped up around her stomach and her head was limp over his arm but from what they could see she was smiling!

"Oh my!" Botan shouted in surprise and shock, "It's her! It's Nyoko, the little girl from the photo!" She pointed to the young girl and soon everyone noticed the cat ears and tail that were connected to her body.

"Botan is correct," Kurama added.

Yukina jumped from her seat and rushed over to the two of them, "Oh no, she's hurt…" she said touching the little neko demon's face, "Please Hiei, set her on the couch."

Hiei looked at his little sister as she fussed over the girl in his arms. She was such a caring individual; it did always amaze him that they were related. Not wanting to upset her he followed her request and walked over to the couch in the room. Gently he let the little girl in his arms go, placing her on the cushions of the couch. The moment he let her go he moved aside to let Yukina work on healing her, moving to the window to sit and wait to hear from his sister. He growled low to himself. Why was he so worried about a child? She was nothing more than cannon fodder and yet for some weird reason, he couldn't seem to figure out, he wanted to know that this girl was going to live and be okay. Although he didn't actually watch, from the reflection in the window he could see his sister kneeling over the girl beginning to heal her.

As her icy hands hovered above the little girl's cheeks, she gasped, "Oh my…" she breathed in surprise.

Hiei's gaze immediately turned to face the two, "What's wrong Yukina?" Kurama asked, curious as to why she seemed so surprised.

"It seems that she is healing herself," the young ice maiden replied.

"Do you think…she's inherited her mother's healing abilities?" Botan asked walking over to look at the little neko healing herself without help from Yukina.

Her mother's healing abilities? Had he missed something while he wasn't with them? They knew who her mother was? Why wasn't this girl's mother taking care of her then? Why would she let her run loose in Human World with a demon chasing after her? None of it seemed to make sense to him. Looking away from them, his eyes turned to the television that still had Koenma's message on it. To his shock he saw a picture of Minami on the screen! His eyes widened in pure and utter shock at what was being shown to him. A photo of the woman from his past and his dreams was on the screen and she seemed so happy. A little neko child was beside her that looked just as happy, but in her silver eyes was a different kind of happiness he had never seen from her before. She was looking at the little girl and her eyes seemed to hold some kind of maternal love for the girl. Wait! That little girl looked just like the one lying on the couch unconscious! Never had he known that Minami had a child!

He almost faltered under the disbelief of what he's just learned. Although, he couldn't help but wonder just where this child of Minami's came from. When he knew her she didn't have children and she certainly wasn't pregnant at the time of their interactions with each other. As his eyes stared at the picture frozen on the screen, he couldn't help but remember when they met. It seemed that all these old memories were surfacing for no reason; what was the cause?


	3. Interesting Encounter

**A/N: Oooooh third chapter. I actually kinda liked this chapter, but making it was a pain...In Word it's longer than the first two. Ugh! I nearly gave up on it actually.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but MY characters and the plot.**

Sounds of dishes clanking together echoed within the household, the sound of running water accompanying it. Delicately soft, pale hands fell under the running water and feeling its cold touch rush over her warm skin. Claws were protruding from the tips of their fingers where finger nails would have normally been on a human. With a rag in hand, these hands washed dishes in the icy water while their kimono sleeves were rolled up to their upper arms. Stray strands of soft, pastel blue hair fell over slender shoulders as glittering silver eyes watched on as they washed their dishes. A small smile tugged at their lips, as if happy to just be doing a menial task like washing dishes. He had been watching her for a long few minutes; watching as she undertook this trivial task of cleaning.

She seemed so at ease and carefree, as if nothing else matter to her. Why was she like that? What was it about herself that she found the courage to be so carefree in the Demon World. Didn't she know that this world was dangerous? Such an attitude like that would get her killed if she happened to make the wrong move. His eyes narrowed at this strange woman; he would have to investigate her attitude further. His boots echoed sound as he stepped onto the wooden floors of her home and he watched as her feline ears twitched. It seemed she was aware of his presence after all, thinking that he had been sneaky. However, she didn't seem to make a move to acknowledge his presence.

"Hello…" her voice finally spoke, not bothering to turn and look at him. He stopped dead at the sound of her voice. It was so calming, good natured, clearly she was stupid. She put aside a few dry dishes, still not bothering to even glance at him, "I suppose you're here for the job offer?"

He placed his hands in his pockets and glared dangerously at her, "Hn."

There was a giggle from her end causing the demon at her door to growl in humiliated anger, "I guess that's a yes." Finally she stopped what she was doing and slowly turned to look at him.

Never in his life had he seen eyes like hers. Silver feline eyes looked upon him with compassion equal to her voice! His own crimson eyes stared, unable to look away from the way they sparkled in this demonic sunlight. How was it that he was so captivated by her stare? There was no demon in all of Demon World that had eyes like hers; they were so kind. His ears twitched when he heard her giggle once again. What was her deal laughing at him? Again his sinister eyes narrowed menacingly and pulled his sword from his backside. This neko woman would pay for laughing at him! With a scoff he leapt into the air ready to strike her down like the little, weak woman she was!

Silver eyes shifted as they watched this short, red eyed demon leap into the air with his sword drawn. Such a sharp point, he could really hurt someone with that. Her compassionate stare changed to a stoic calm even in the face of unspeakable danger. His sword was drawn, ready to kill her for apparently laughing at him. With her hands at her side, she didn't even look like she would defend herself from him. Did this woman have a death wish? He looked into her gaze once more and was shocked by what he saw! It was something that he hadn't seen before in all his years of killing, she wasn't bothered by his attempt to kill her. In fact, her body was calm and unmoving, dare he even say she was welcoming the cut of his sword. He stopped mid-air, the tip of his sword just inches from her skull and her body never changed or budged a single millimeter.

"Are you quite done?" she asked, staring into his eyes and ignoring the sword in her face.

"What?" he snarled with a murderous glare, his sword still held at her face, "If you can't tell I hold your life in my hands. With a swing of my sword you'll die."

Stoic and not even a twitch when threatened with death, "Hmm, are you sure about that?" she asked calmly. "I've been threatened more times in my life than you've swung that measly sword. Yours doesn't bother me one bit," she added without faltering.

This woman! She was so calm in the face of danger. What was with this woman, why was she so damn calm? His glare hardened even further; nothing about her moved. With a sword in her face and the threat of death she held her stare and demeanor as if it were nothing more than a casual conversation. Unable to understand what was going through this girl's mind he dropped his sword, sheathing back behind his back. He crossed his arms and scoffed at her with a sudden aloof demeanor of his own.

She smiled finally, "See now, there we go! We can all get along here." Leaning down just a few inches, she extended her clawed hand, "I'm Minami by the way."

"Hn," he replied, ignoring her gesture of friendliness.

"Yes. Right. Of course," she mumbled as she casually leaned against her sink. A leg crossed over the other and her arms crossed under her chest, "Then I guess that's all you're here for, right? The money? Hmm, seems a little trivial for you."

He pointed a finger at her face, "My reasons are my own."

Her big eyes blinked a few times, seeing the finger in her face, "Oh yes, yes…Well could I at least get your name?"

He turned away from her, placing his hands in his pockets, "Hiei."

"Well you're welcome to have some lunch if you're hungry," she smiled, her eyes lighting up as if suddenly taken over by true happiness. Hiei's face warmed up when a growl erupted from his gut, causing Minami to laugh, "I'd say that's a most definite yes!"

Gesturing to her kitchen table, she turned away from him and began preparing a meal for her new body guard. That was the job she had been referring to when asking if he was in her house for the job. Her ears twitched as they heard the feet of the chair scrape against the floor as he moved it so he could sit in it. In the middle of preparing food her facial features changed and her ears twitched once more when she heard something else. The knife in her hand seemed to speed up as she chopped vegetables on the wooden cutting board in front of her. Hiei watched her back with a lazy glare, watching as her sleek, fluffy tail swished furiously back and forth. He couldn't help but think that something was wrong with her.

It took a while, a few minutes that caused his hunger to grow. His arms were behind his head, cradling his skull as he leaned back lazily in the chair. He couldn't help his staring at her backside, the contours of her body moving as she cooked her food. The ears on her head were perked up as straight as they could go but seemed to twitch just as wildly as her tail. His head tipped to the side a bit in curiosity as to what could possibly be bothering her. Seeing that he was staring too long, he quickly looked away at the ceiling and felt his eyes widen slightly. Why was he thinking such thoughts about a woman he had just met? She was nothing special and she certainly wasn't worth his time; he was only here for her money. Then…why?

His attention was taken from his mind when he heard her feet stomp up next to him, looking up he saw the vicious glare on her face and couldn't help but be a little surprised, "Here's your food." She dropped the tray of food in front of him unceremoniously, bringing her hand up, "And get your grubby feet of my clean table!" she shouted, smacking at his ankles to push his feet off the kitchen table.

"Uh!" Hiei gasped as he was slightly put off balance by her sudden attack on his feet, quickly recovering and grabbing the hilt of his sword with a glare, "Watch yourself woman! I will kill you if you push me."

"Oh…is that so?" she hissed through a creepily happy smile. Even Hiei couldn't deny that he was frightened of this look she was giving him.

He crossed his arms across his chest, "Hn," was all he could reply with.

"Now please, enjoy!" she added with a more normal smile.

Hiei looked at her as she spun around on her heel and walked away from him and the table in which he sat. His demonic red eyes couldn't help but watch as her hips swayed while she walked away from him, her tail far calmer than he had seen earlier. How was she corrupting his mind like this? Never had he had thoughts like this about a woman before. He didn't care about her in anyway but her body seemed to captivate his more primitive instincts. This woman wasn't any ordinary neko demon.

"What is this job you require that you would offer up such a bounty?" he asked, curious as to what her true motives were.

She turned looked up at him from her own spot at the table she had taken, food in front of her just like him, "Hm?" she blinked with a little tilt of her head. His eyes followed as her ears flopped to one side, "Oh yes, I do suppose the offer was a little vague," she smiled sweetly at him, "I'm in need of a bodyguard you see…"

"Really?" he asked, interrupting her.

"Yes, I have something that is of the utmost importance to be done and I can't do it on my own. Thus, the requisition of a bodyguard is needed to help me carryout my task," she replied, ignoring his brief interruption.

"Oh, and what task is that?" his attention was turned from the food in front of him, earning silent retaliation from his stomach.

Minami's eyes turned away from the shorter demon and looked out the door that was still opened, the fading light reflecting in her eyes, "It's a personal task…" she trailed off, her voice going quiet.

Her gaze left the outside and turned back to the plate sitting in front of her. Suddenly her eyes looked sad and distant, as if this task of hers pained her a great deal. What was it that she had to accomplish then that would cause such emotion from her? Picking up a fork, she began to eat her food in silent. Staring at her, he couldn't help the curiosity that sparked in him about it. Who was he to care? This task of hers didn't involve him in anyway other than escorting her to wherever she needed to go. Finally allowing his hands to be preoccupied as his mind ticked off questions and ideas that could be the reason for this woman's 'personal task' he no longer bothered to speak. She had already finished her meal, her head angled down and moving towards the sink to clean off her plate.

This talk of her task seemed to have upset her greatly. Was there some underlining meaning to this thing she had to do. As he ate silently, from the corner of his eyes he watched her back like he's done since he walked into her home. He brought his eyes to look away from her for once and allowed them to wander around the kitchen of her home. In all honesty it looked normal; almost human. Was this woman a human sympathizer? If she were there was no wonder why she was threatened so much. Taking another look around everything seemed so simple; she definitely didn't have wads of cash and riches like she said. At least, it didn't look like it on the surface. He had finished his meal and got up instantly, leaving out the back door to sit in the giant trees surrounding them. He couldn't believe he was taking this remedial job.

His eyes had been on her the whole time, she knew that. The feeling of having eyes bore holes into your back was unmistakable; but she ignored it. It may have been annoying, like a bug that's constant buzzing wouldn't go away, but she could ignore it well enough. Standing at her sink, the water running, she couldn't do anything but watch it stream from the faucet. She almost didn't want to do what had to be done, it scared her. Luckily, she could draw out leaving for a little while longer. Who was he to question when they left, she was paying him to do nothing but escort her really. Minami's knees buckled under her and she dropped to the floor, her hands still hanging above her head in the sink. Could she really go through with it? Her big eyes closed and she felt her body tremble the slightest bit before she found enough strength to pick herself back but. She shook her head and regained her calm and kind composure.

Turning off her sink, she grabbed a basket nearby and turned away towards the door. Her bare feet carried her to the threshold of her door, which showed nothing but trees and grass for miles. Looking up into the trees, she couldn't see the little demon covered in black but knew he was there.

"Hiei, I'm going to the market. I would appreciate it if you would accompany me," she spoke into the air with a seemingly somber smile, "You may keep your distance if you wish though."

The handle of her basket fumbled around in her palms, her bare feet barely making a sound as she padded her way through the grass. From the tall trees Hiei watched her walk from her home and down the giant hill in which she lived. Minami seemed to isolate herself from the rest of her village; her home resting on the outskirts of their territory and out of the close minded reach of their elders. He had heard of her village before coming to it; most demons had. This village, the Yanyama, was a special tribe of cat demons that specialize in healing and defensive energies. While they were strong defensively, their offense was pathetic. But it was that same insanely strong defense that this tribe was rarely ever bothered by outsiders.

They were at the edge of the village and the sounds of the villagers were flooding their ears. Their voices sounded so utterly happy that it made him feel so disgusted by their emotions. His red eyes traveled down to look at the silver eared neko standing at the edge, the basket clutched in her hands and her eyes seemingly looking at the ground. Was it possible that she was scared to enter? Hiei watched her closely. She didn't really seem scared, her body didn't tremble, her ears didn't twitch, nor her tail; if that the case then why was she hesitating? Her muscles tightened around the wicker handle and finally she moved forward.

People gasped, "No way!" The whispers flooded the streets as Minami slowly made her way into the heart of the village.

From the tree tops Hiei watched, "It…it's Minami!"

"But what's she doing here?"

"That witch doesn't belong here."

"Why would she show her face in the village so brazenly?"

"I can't believe it…"

Their voices began to disgust Hiei as they spoke of how she didn't belong with them. It seemed to remind him of his own past as they alienated her from her own people. Why were they doing this to her? To him, it seemed that she was just like them; a purveyor of defensive energies. So, why? Minami seemed so unaffected by their words, continuing to walk through the village as if she were deaf. Although looking as if to ignore their words, her head was down and her overall demeanor seemed…off. He would never understand the workings of a village cut off from the rest of the world.

"Hey!" someone shouted from within a crowd. Hiei's attention turned quickly, ready to move at the slightest hint of danger. Minami began turning towards the voice, hearing the sound as well, "You don't belong in this village! Get lost you psycho bitch!" a large rock was hurled through the air and as she turned it struck her temple, causing her to stop and her skin to bleed.

Hiei couldn't believe it! They attack their own just because they thought them cursed in some way. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, growling lowly with his canines biting his lip open. Minami's head turned away at the impact of the large rock, her blue bangs curtaining her eyes from view. There…was something suddenly different about her, he could feel it. It seemed almost, dangerous. Without turning back towards her attacker, Minami turned away and continued her way into the village and towards the market. There were things she needed to get before the two of them would depart. Why would she do such a thing? Why wouldn't she strike down this and all these other creatures?

Minami brought her head up, her eyes just as full of joy as the first time he had seen them. It was as if that strike to the head hadn't bothered her at all! One hand let go to the basket she was carrying and there was a sudden spring in her step. What was with this woman? She could brush off a stone to the face from her own people and continue smiling. It confused him. He watched as a large smile crossed her features and her eyes lit up; something must have seriously made her happy. She jogged up to a wooden booth full of everything from silk fabrics to animal parts. The fire demon wondered why this booth was able to make her so happy.

"Hey there Hanayuri," she greeted an older looking woman with a soft giggle and a wave of her free hand.

Sinister looking pale green eyes looked up at the neko woman, "Ah Minami! How have you been child?"

Minami continued to give her a big smile, "I'm wonderful! How are you ma'am?"

"Getting older…" she paused as her older ears twitched and looked at the gash on the side of her head, "Child, how did you get that gash?" Her already evil looking eyes seemed to get even more so.

Her silver eyes widened in nervousness, "Oh uh…" she gave a nervous chuckle, "Uhm…this? It's nothing," she replied waving it off casually. Hiei felt a little comfort knowing that at least one person was able to have a normal conversation with her.

"Minami…" she breathed heavily, her hand being outlined in mint green energy and bringing it up to the wound, "Don't lie to me child."

"Oh…! You know me; can't go a day without some kind of action," she laughed, trying to play it all off. Hiei watched in amazement as he saw a Yanyama use their healing abilities for the first time in his demon life. He wondered, did they all heal like this?

The cut was gone in seconds, "Right…so what do you need this time?" Hanayuri asked finally putting the question of her head wound to rest.

Minami bent over, her ears twitching, one hand on her hip and one foot tapping at the dirt, "Hmm…" her sleek silver tail flicked back and forth as she looked over all the items being sold at this large wooden booth.

"Hey! You evil bitch, get out of our village!" someone shouted, brandishing a weapon and running towards the booth and Minami.

Hiei's eyes widened in surprise, jumping to his feet and ready to pounce. Under his cloak he grabbed the hilt of his sword, growling and his eyes narrowing into a glare. Minami's silver ears twitched to the sound and her head dropped. The sound of feet running towards her told her just how far away from her they were. Well it was time to do this job he was being paid for. From his perch in the trees above them, Hiei jumped down with his sword drawn and ready to combat this little brat. The villager jumped into the air, ready to try and strike down Minami and possibly Hiei when a dome of transparent, glowing purple energy sprung up around them. This insignificant attacker was blown back from the both of them, their weapon being dissolved in the process.

He couldn't believe his eyes! Such power. Never had he seen such power displayed in defense before. Looking over his shoulder, he seemed a little shocked by the look upon Minami's face. Her body hadn't moved an inch but her neck was craned towards her right, the direction the weak attacker had come from, her normally silver eyes were gone. It seemed that as this dome had manifested her energy bled into her eyes, causing them to glow purple. They were narrowed, continuing to glow and murderous. It was a look that seemed to frighten him; his body was actually trembling. Her body radiated energy and finally allowing himself to take his eyes off her he turned towards the down neko, bringing up his sword and about to strike. The energy suddenly disappeared and a hand was placed on his shoulder ever so gently.

Angered red eyes turned to the owner of the hand, "Please Hiei, they don't deserve death," Minami spoke, her voice just as gentle as her touch.

"What?" he shouted in disbelief, "This fool just tried to kill you and you want me to spare them?"

Minami nodded, "There's no need to shed their blood." She let go of his shoulder and walked to his side, her gaze staring at the unconscious neko, "Their insignificance is of no importance…" she paused, "And besides, they only attack what they think is the boogieman and what they don't understand. I bare no grudge against them."

"Uh…" Hiei watched as she walked away, passing the neko on the ground and making her way back the way she had come. He smirked at her back, this 'job' would be interesting.


	4. Lying Game

**A/N: Next chapter. I'm glad people are liking the story so far! I've had some questions asked about Hiei in this story and all I will say is that you'll just have to read to find out for sure. This one was a little shorter, but then again is was mostly just to kind of establish Nyoko with the team. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but MY characters and the plot.  
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"Minami…" Hiei sighed, mumbling her name under his breath.

Kurama turned to look at his friend, "Did you say something Hiei?"

Hiei almost seemed to jump at this question, "Hn." Kurama blinked his green eyes; well that answered that.

With a relieved sigh, he turned towards the window and stared at the now darkened sky. That memory seemed almost sacred to him. The first time they met. A smile seemed to come to his lips at the comfort he felt. His eyes stared out at the moon and the stars, the memory continuing to play in his mind and giving him some sort of solace. Did that memory make him happier than the others? There were so many involving this woman that it was hard to tell exactly. It was amazing that even now she was able to disrupt his thoughts and she didn't have to be around to do it. Minami was truly amazing.

Yukina spoke that the little girl was waking up and everyone turned to face her, having been preoccupied for a few moments. From the corner of his eyes, Hiei watched the ears on her head began to twitch. Not every wound on her body had been healed, meaning she wasn't as accomplished a healer as Minami. Maybe she really wasn't the daughter of Minami. Minami was an unmatchable healer; she was even able to revive the dead, something this child can't even come close to accomplishing anytime soon. Her body began to tremble and her eyes fluttering open; she was waking. Quickly her eyes flashed open and she sat up with a start, her body doubling over in pain. She was still in pain and Yukina once again began to fuss over her about it.

"Your name is Nyoko right?" Yusuke asked, pointing at her while Yukina worked on healing her wounded body.

The girl turned to him in surprise, her almond shaped pink eyes looking directly at his chocolate ones, "How do you know my name?" She gave a light shriek as her eyes widened and pointed at the Spirit Detective, "Are you uh…uh…uh psychic?" even before Yusuke could answer her she became giddy with some kind of excitement, "Oh my gosh! I've never met a psychic before, this is so cool! Do you know what I'm thinking right now? Or or or….what about can you see the future?"

Yusuke leaned back as she leaned forward, a giant smile on her face, "Eech…what? Me a psychic?" he pointed at himself, a confused look on his face.

"HAH! Yusuke a psychic? He's have a better chance at being a saint than a psychic," Kuwabara laughed as his arms crossed across his chest.

Yusuke glared in annoyance at his smartass remark, "What was that?" he grabbed onto Kuwabara's shirt with a look like he was ready to kill.

"Heh heh heh…" Kuwabara laughed nervously, "Oh nothing! Nothing."

Ignoring the two bickering about Yusuke's personality flaws, Kurama turned his kind but piercing gaze to the child, "So you are Nyoko then? The daughter of the healer Minami?" he asked calmly, a leg crossing over the other.

The navy blue haired neko looked at the green eyed, red head with a strange look. Her pink eyes blinked before looking away as if afraid to continue looking into his eyes, feeling that if she looked any farther he would see into the depths of her soul and read her deepest thoughts. Such an idea frightened her. She already knew someone like that and having someone know so much about you was terrifying. A clawed hand clenched into a fist, her body once again beginning to tremble under the viciousness of his stare. Was she allowed to tell him? Since they already knew the facts, could she really tell them? Her head turned slightly; would her mother be angry if she told? Or was it better that she lie to them? She needed to know! But how was she able to when her mother wasn't even here?

"_Nyoko, if you ever meet someone outside of this village I want you to lie about our family," the voice of her mother spoke to her. Her younger feline eyes twitched to this request._

_Nyoko tilted her head to the side, "Mmm, what do you mean mother?"_

_A gentle hand was placed onto the girl's shoulder, "Listen to me sweetheart, if anyone was to know you were my child you could be in grave danger and I don't want that for you. You MUST promise me that if you are asked about our family you will deny everything."_

I really wish you didn't make me promise something like that mother, Nyoko thought before looking back up at the red head. His gaze hadn't faltered; he was still staring at her. She felt that same fear. She **really** needed to stop looking into his eyes! Navy blue hair circled around her face as she shook her head, trying to regain her cool and change her thought process. Nyoko sat up straighter now that her pain had subsided and regained her composure.

"You're wrong," she finally answered, "Minami isn't my mother."

For some reason everyone seemed to be a little surprised by this answer considering the information Koenma had given them, "Is that so?" Kurama asked not believing her.

Nyoko nodded, "Yes. She's my mentor and nothing else." She hated lying about such a claim, but it was a promise she had made.

"I see…" the ever calm and calculating Kurama paused; if anyone was qualified to extract information from anymore, it was him. "Then could you tell us about your…mentor?"

Before Nyoko answered, Yusuke turned to the little fire demon and voiced his curiosity, "Hey Hiei, where'd you find her anyways?"

"Hn," he looked at the detective from the corner of his eye, "Dying in the forest."

"HEY!" Nyoko shouted with a glare, "I wasn't dying! I was practicing my deceptive techniques! Completely different," she argued, wincing in pain as she moved around on the couch. Hiei scoffed.

He looked into her pained eyes and was over taken by an emotion of surprise. Her eyes, they were so familiar to him! Even as they squinted in pain their familiarity was felt. But why? He had never met this girl before today, so why did he feel he knew her eyes. An image of a saddened Minami appeared within his mind's eye, seeing the same way her eyes looked as they narrowed into a pained look. Their eyes were so similar!

"_Minami, hang on!" he shouted as he carried the woman on his back._

_She grunted in pain, "Nh! I-it hurts!" she hissed through gritted teeth as her claws dug into his back and shoulders, causing Hiei to hiss in pain as well._

_Blood was staining his black clothes as it dripped from Minami's side. The hole in her purple kimono was outlined in red from her own blood the gashes in her skin were seeping. Her head laid against the back of his neck, her eyes shut tightly, her teeth grinding together as she tried to push through the pain. Hiei looked over his shoulder at her, she seemed to be in so much pain and anguish. Why didn't she just heal herself? He knew that she was capable of it, so why?_

"What'd you know you brainless oaf?" Nyoko's voice shouted, interrupting his memory. His red eyes shifted to look at them.

Yusuke's eyes narrowed at the insult and leaned in close to her until they were inches apart, "What was that you brat?" Nyoko glared back at him.

"You heard me!" she argued back.

"Why you…" Yusuke jumped from his seat, his hand clenched tightly into a fist and about to hit her.

She crossed her arms across her chest and laughed, "Come on! I dare you!" she taunted, jumping to her feet and bringing up her own fists.

"Both of you shut up!" Genkai shouted over them causing them to relax and sit back down. Both of them crossed their arms and huffed, turning away from each other.

"Yes…" Kurama muttered, finding their interaction interesting; it was much like the bickering between Yusuke and Kuwabara. "Anyways, what could you tell us about Minami's situation?" he asked.

Nyoko's pink feline eyes shifted to look at Kurama, "Hmm?" she blinked and seemed to become saddened. "I don't really know what happened to her. She pushed me through a tunnel before I could figure out what was really going on," she paused and dropped her gaze, her fingers curling into her palms, "All that I really know is that someone was in our home trying to get something from her and she was begging and pleading with them to spare me and leave. Then…I was thrown through and found myself in the Human World with a demon chasing me and being rescued by him," she finished, pointing towards Hiei.

"Ah! If she's been kidnapped then things are going to get bad," Botan gasped.

Everyone looked at her, "What'd you mean Botan?" Kuwabara asked.

Her features became serious, "Minami is the greatest and most powerful healer in all of Demon World. Her defensive and healing energies are unmatched. She's even able to revive the dead."

"No way…" Yusuke breathed in surprise.

"I didn't know that was even possible for anyone other than Koenma and King Yama," Genkai added in her own surprise.

Botan nodded, "Yes, it's a very, very rare talent indeed and even then they can only revive the recently dead. But not Minami, they could be dead for years and she could revive them." This piece of information seemed to shock them all, except Nyoko and Hiei.

Facing the window once again, Hiei smirked to himself while listening to Botan talk of how important Minami's skills were. He had seen them first hand and knew just how valuable such a skill could be another. Her skills in healing were definitely remarkable. Red eyes looked at his shoulder and a hand came up to rest on the same shoulder. It had been badly injured once, almost requiring an amputation, but Minami had healed it completely. He could still remember the sensation he felt as her energy melted into him. Warmth, but not an average feeling of warmth one would feel, something about this particular feeling was beyond comforting, like being wrapped in the most intense fire. Oh what was he thinking? He didn't know how to describe good feelings; he purposely never let himself feel them.

He got up from his spot sitting at the window, hands sliding into his pockets and his eyes closed. Turning from everyone, he was going to make his way outside when a voice asked him to stop. He did and didn't bother looking back at who had asked him because he knew; it was the little girl.

"Mister Hiei…" Nyoko mumbled looking at the back of his head, "Th-thank you."

Hiei seemed to go ridged where he stood, something about her gratitude struck him. He turned just enough to look at her from the corner of his eyes, "Hn," he snorted as he turned back around and walked outside.

The fire demon walked off the temple grounds and into the vast forest that surrounded them on all sides. As he did though, his mind wandered, not bothering to move as quickly as he normally did. His mind was too clouded with thoughts of his past and he needed to think. From the ground his eyes shifted to the stars in the sky. It was so dark, so cold and yet so comforting. With his hands in his pockets, he found a clearing and sat against a tree trunk, tilting his head back to look at the sky. Bringing his hands out of his pockets, he placed them behind his head to cushion it and let his thoughts take over.


End file.
